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Hi Group!
An excellent write-up for all the HR professionals out here...
SUBJECT: The Only Way to Address E-mail
You're in a career transition and want your e-mails to be read. In addition, you recognize that employers and hiring managers get hundreds, if not thousands, of e-mails. They can't possibly remember everyone they meet or talk to, even if they want to. How do you differentiate yourself to get through the clutter? One way is to use the SUBJECT line of your e-mails as a weapon.
I receive 200 e-mails every day—about half are spam, the other half are business related. As a result of this deluge, I've gotten good at scanning my inbox and separating treasure from trash.
Let's say I've just returned from a two-hour meeting and 30 e-mails clutter my inbox. Which do I read? Obviously, the critical ones—but which are which? Like everyone else, I scan the SUBJECT lines to decide which to open. John Caples, author of the classic "Tested Advertising Methods," says the headline is 80% of the value of an ad. In other words, if the headline works, the ad works. The same principle applies to e-mail. If your SUBJECT line works, the reader is likely to open the e-mail to read more.
So try to avoid generic sentences in your SUBJECT. Be as clear and detailed as practical. Avoid, "Resume," or "Sending my resume," or "Answering your ad." Try to be specific, like this: "Resume for Job Posting #232354 — Mechanical Engineer."
Many times, you can get the gist of the entire e-mail into the SUBJECT line, saving your readers a lot of extra work. "Give me a call" is vague. "Call me for work samples on 888-555-1212 1:00-2:00 EST" tells the whole story. "URGENT" by itself is fair; "URGENT: Final report for Friday's trial" is much better.
If you receive an e-mail with no SUBJECT, don't hit "Reply" and send it back, or the reader on the other end will just see: "RE . . . ," which means nothing and may never be opened. Create your own new SUBJECT.
Also, don't click "Reply" and use the author's original SUBJECT— unless it fits. Make the SUBJECT and content of your e-mail agree. I get e-mails where someone has gone to their "Sent Mail" file to find my address, called up and old e-mail, and hit "Reply." Then they type something new and unrelated in the body, creating an effect like this: SUBJECT: "ExecuNet Meeting." MESSAGE: "I was wondering if you saved the March 30 edition of the Wall Street Journal?" Big disconnect.
Try not to sound or look like spam. For example, never leave the SUBJECT line blank or type it in UPPERCASE. Those are telltale signs of spam. Overused exclamation points (!!!) and question marks (???) are a dead give-away. So are generic greetings like, "Hi there" or "Hello wsfrank," or "Hello William." "A Human Resources Executive you can't refuse," and "Last chance to hire a winner," both sound like junk to me.
Keep the tone neutral and businesslike. Avoid showing strong emotions like: "My resume—THIRD ATTEMPT!!!" or "DON'T YOU EVER CHECK YOUR VOICEMAIL???!!" or "Still waiting for your reply!!!" Instead, even if you're frustrated, try something like this: "Bill Frank checking back. Let's talk when convenient: 888-555-1212." Don't be a comedian (unless comedy is your profession). SUBJECT: "Resume of the world's best CFO" doesn't really work.
If the recipient is not a personal friend, they may not recognize your name even if they just met you yesterday, so including your name in the SUBJECT line can help. Instead of "The information you wanted," try this: "From Bill Frank: Resume + Two Excel Spreadsheets." Not this: "Following Up." But this: "Bill Frank Following Up: Did You Receive My Resume?"
And if a third party referred you, always use that person's name in the subject line. "Writing to Introduce Myself," is vague, but "Bill Frank referred by Nancy Garrison" is powerful. "Thank you for the interview" is C+, but "From Bill Frank: Thanks for Interview—Enjoyed Meeting You" is A+. Finally, when the perfect opportunity arrives, don't say, "Your Offer." Instead, write: "Ready to discuss your job offer—can we meet?"
Do I ever send an e-mail with "What?? Duuuh!" as the SUBJECT? Yes, you bet I do—quite often, in fact—with friends. But never in business, and especially not when I'm trying to penetrate the recipient's electronic defenses. Source: Unknown
Regards,
hema |
